Lucchese Crime Family Member Pleads Guilty to Running Illegal New York Gambling Ring

Written By J.R. Duren on February 4, 2025
a robotic hand holding a gavel while a human hand holds a plead guilty note

A member of the Lucchese crime family pleaded guilty along with four associates to charges related to a New York-based illegal gambling racket.

Mafia soldier Anthony Villani pled guilty to charges of illegal gambling, racketeering, and money laundering, according to the Eastern District of New York’s (EDNY) U.S. Attorney’s office.

John Durham, an attorney from the EDNY, said that, after running the illegal operation for around two decades, the mobsters’ “luck ran out.”

“These guilty pleas represent a victory for the rule of law over the pernicious activities of organized crime that undermine the safety of our communities. Illegal gambling businesses require enforcement and protection from mob rivals that carry the persistent threat of violence.”

The guilty pleas ended a more than two-year court battle. A sixth defendant is still at large, the EDNY said.

Lucchese family ran illegal sports betting operation

Court records obtained by PlayNY reveal that Villani and four others (James “Quick” Coumoutsos, Dennis Filizzola, Michael “Platinum” Praino, and Louis “Tooch” Tucci, Jr.) ran an illegal gambling outfit from 2004 to 2020.

During that time, the five gangsters “conducted, financed, managed, supervised, directed, and owned” a sports betting business that met all the criteria for a count of conspiracy to commit illegal gambling.

As evidence of the illegal activity, EDNY alleged multiple instances of Villani and his associates accepting thousands of dollars in bets.

The group’s sports betting operation received its own felony count of “illegal gambling business—sports betting”.

In addition to charges of conspiracy to commit illegal gambling and running an illegal sports betting business, the gangsters were charged with one count each of racketeering, money laundering conspiracy, and money laundering.

The EDNY noted that the illegal gambling business brought the Lucchese crime family at least $1 million per year from a weekly pool of anywhere from 400 to 1,300 bettors. Additionally, it found that the Villani operation took those winnings and converted them into Postal Service money orders, then laundering them through a series of organizations fronting as property companies.

Sentencing set for May

Villani and his associates are slated for a sentencing hearing on May 22. Villani, Tucci, Jr., and Filizzola face up to 20 years in prison. Coumoutsos and Praino face a maximum of five years in prison. As part of the guilty plea, Villani has to forfeit $4 million.

Luccheses are the second Mafia family indicted for illegal gambling in the past year

Last summer, the EDNY gained an indictment of 17 soldiers of the Gambino crime family. The Gambino’s racket was far more lucrative than Villani’s outfit, bringing in more than $22 million in bets from 70 bettors from September 2022 to March 2023.

Photo by Fauzi Muda/Shutterstock
J.R. Duren Avatar
Written by
J.R. Duren

J.R. Duren has covered the Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey gambling beats for Catena Media. His past reporting experience includes two years at The Villages Daily Sun. J.R. is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and a first-place winner at the Florida Press Club Excellence in Journalism Contest.

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